Chapter 832: Ilcheonkyo.

Clearly, just moments ago the dough was fine, but now it’s all rotten and unusable.

“As you can see, this is the situation.”

“…Yes, I see and understand.”

With things like this, forget about elixirs; I can’t do anything.

Moreover, just looking at the amount of dough in the room, I can tell how much of a failure it is.

‘How much money does it cost to make this just once?’

It’s not like it only takes one or two expensive herbs.

‘At this rate, it would have been more profitable just to mix it right before eating.’

I don’t know much about elixirs, but the fine dough I just saw was of considerable quality.

Compared to that, it’s worse than Shaolin’s Great Replenishing Pill, let alone the Summoning Pill.

Even that would be an incredible elixir, though.

‘Naturally, the Poison King wouldn’t be satisfied.’

The Poison King has already seen the long-gone Poison Heaven Pill with his own eyes.

How could he forget that absurd, brilliant radiance?

An elixir on par with the Great Replenishing Pill.

Having seen that right before his eyes, he couldn’t possibly be satisfied with just this level.

Especially since the final process is just around the corner, he’d feel that way even more.

From that perspective.

“Can you truly solve this?”

I had declared that I thought I could solve the problem.

He couldn’t help but have expectations. The problem here is…

‘Sip….’

It’s just that it’s a bit ambiguous for me to declare certainty.

‘…Seeing it myself, I understand better.’

The problem has been identified.

‘It’s just as I expected.’

The demonic energy contained within the powdered magic stone. As soon as it entered the dough, it caused a repulsion.

It instantly rotted the fresh ingredients and scattered all the hard-earned radiant energy.

As if it couldn’t acknowledge any energy other than its own.

‘No matter how many times I look, it’s truly ignorant energy.’

How could an elixir be completed with something like that going in? Even though I wonder if the so-called recipe makes any sense.

‘There must be a reason it needs to be included.’

I didn’t just dismiss it. It was Senior Tang himself who taught me the recipe.

The recipe is definitely not wrong. It’s the ones implementing it who are mistaken.

I was convinced of that and was about to try the method I thought of.

“It’s not a certainty, but… a few methods have come to mind, so I intend to try them.”

“We’ve already tried countless possibilities and failed every time… Finding any remaining methods won’t be easy.”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

Still, they must have run out of methods. But.

‘I can do things others can’t.’

There must have been methods that couldn’t be used because they failed no matter how many possibilities were tried. And I possess them.

If it’s anything else, I don’t know, but it’s the magic stones. I was confident regarding them.

‘How many magic stones have I stuffed into myself?’

Including past and present lives, I can’t even count them. I’ve absorbed that many magic stones.

So if the final problem is the magic stones, whether I know it or not, it’s definitely worth trying.

“Are there more magic stones?”

When I asked the Poison King, he pointed to a spot. It was a cart in the room, and several magic stones were piled inside.

There aren’t many. Three, maybe? Fewer than expected, but I wasn’t disappointed.

Magic stones with their original colors aren’t easily obtained. It’s because their color naturally fades over time, and this is even a red magic stone.

No matter how often red demonic beasts appeared, it wasn’t enough to hunt them just to obtain magic stones.

Rather, it’s quite impressive that the Tang family possessed this many magic stones and was experimenting with them.

‘Still, I can try everything that can be tried.’

Nodding, I took one magic stone. Then, as I was taking it to the dough prepared for testing…

“Tang Family Head-nim.”

I said carefully to the Poison King.

“Please promise me just one thing.”

“What is it?”

“That you won’t tell anyone about what you are about to see.”

“…”

An uneasy look flashed across the Poison King’s face. ‘Don’t tell anyone.’ It was clearly a dangerous request.

Normally, he would never have agreed to such a thing, but…

“…Alright. I promise, staking my name and family lineage.”

The Poison King agreed, as if the present matter was more important. However.

“That’s not enough. Please stake Young Lady Tang as well.”

To me, that wasn’t enough. I needed something bigger.

“…!”

Hearing that, the Poison King frowned. It seemed he was quite angered by the lack of trust and the mention of Tang Xiaoye.

“Please do it.”

I had no intention of backing down, so I pushed forward. Anyway, the Poison King only had one option.

“…Alright.”

“Confirmed. Oh, and also.”

While holding the magic stone, I added to the Poison King.

“Please stop using that formal speech too.”

I clearly remember us dropping the formalities before. Perhaps he was still sulking about the ‘incident’ last time, acting so childishly.

“…That…”

The moment the Poison King tried to say something upon hearing this.

Woowoowoong—!!!

“…Huh?”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. Because I started the process before he could say more.

Seeing that, the Poison King’s jaw dropped.

The magic stone I gripped was gradually losing its light.

This was thanks to the activation of the Demonic Path Heaven Absorption Technique.

Demonic energy was steadily flowing into my heart.

Although the contained demonic energy was substantial, it didn’t take long to absorb it all.

A moment passed, and all the color drained away. The magic stone became transparent. I tightened my grip on it.

Pasasik-!

The magic stone immediately crumbled. Transparent magic stones have significantly less durability.

With the powder thus added, I stirred the dough a few times with my hands.

“Hmm.”

I felt it like before, but there was no particular reaction.

Checking its condition, I said to the Poison King.

“First attempt failed… Family Head-nim?”

I said it calmly, but the Poison King’s expression was priceless. His eyes and mouth were wide open as if he’d seen something unbelievable.

The Poison King looked at me with an expression I’d never seen before. I had expected a reaction, but this was bigger than I thought.

Well, it’s unbelievable that one can instantly drain the color from a magic stone.

“W-what did you just do?”

“It’s nothing much. Don’t forget your promise from earlier.”

“It couldn’t possibly be nothing…”

“Next.”

Ignoring the Poison King’s reaction, I continued. I didn’t have time to react to each of his expressions.

‘First one’s a bust.’

The Poison King had said he’d already tried it with a colorless one, but I tried just in case. The result was, as expected, a failure.

The difference was that the dough didn’t rot… but if the result was the same as before, it was still a failure.

‘Then now….’

I move on to the next method.

In reality, the real work started now. I had to do something I’d never done before.

Sssu-!

Focusing my energy into my heart, I recalled.

‘When demonic energy enters, it causes repulsion.’

It completely ruined the ingredients, making them unusable.

‘But the magic stone must be included as an ingredient…’

Yet, if you add something without energy, there’s no reaction.

‘This means the magic stone plays some crucial role.’

Even in that confusing situation, I recalled the strangeness.

‘Why specifically the red magic stone?’

Why did Senior Tang mention the red magic stone?

When green and blue ones also exist, why red?

What exactly is the role the magic stone plays in making the Poison Heaven Pill?

Questions kept arising. Yet, I didn’t stop my actions.

Saaahhh!

The magic stone’s energy enters my body. It’s the same as before. The process of draining the magic stone’s color.

It’s the same method as before. Seeing this, the Poison King’s eyes also showed suspicion. He must find it strange that I’m doing again what failed before.

However.

What I was about to try began from the moment all the energy was drained from the magic stone.

I confirmed that the energy had vanished and the magic stone’s interior was completely empty.

This is it.

“…Sssu.”

Exhaling, I changed the method.

“Hup.”

I flowed energy into it. The energy traveled through my heart and seeped into the magic stone.

My energy was entering the empty magic stone.

The difference is that I’m injecting the energy of the Nine Flame Wheel Technique, not demonic energy.

As energy refilled the now-transparent magic stone, the stone, regaining its color, looked quite different from its original state.

The stone, which had been red as proof of being a red magic stone, now had a light cyan hue. At first glance, one might mistake it for a blue magic stone.

Did my energy’s color seep in? My gaze lingered for a moment, but I didn’t look for long.

‘What’s important now isn’t the color or anything.’

It doesn’t matter what color the magic stone becomes.

I’ll figure that out later; the Poison Heaven Pill comes first.

Deciding so, I reached out to the Poison King.

The Poison King, still bewildered and not understanding the situation, was holding something. Looking at it, I said,

“Please give me what you’re holding.”

“Ah…”

As if mesmerized, the Poison King handed me the tool. It was the thing used to grind the magic stone earlier.

Gripping it, I ground the magic stone without hesitation.

Kkikikik—!!!

Grinding it with force made it happen faster than before. The shape was no different.

Powder fell from the magic stone and mixed into the dough.

When a certain amount had been added, I put down the tool and the magic stone. It was to mix the dough.

But then.

Kwajik-!!

“Hmm?”

When I turned my eyes, the magic stone I had just infused with color was shattering into pieces.

“What’s that now… Ah, screw it.”

I was slightly taken aback, but the dough came first.

I kneaded the dough with force. I carefully worked it to mix well with the powder.

Immediately, I felt a change in the dough.

Sssuuu–!!

‘The energy is moving.’

The energy within the dough churned. However, since this was a change that also occurred when the ingredients rotted earlier, I didn’t let my guard down.

Focusing, slowly. Checking the condition, I kneaded the dough further.

Saaahhh!!

The energy continued to move. Then, the moment I confirmed there was no foul odor, unlike during the previous failures.

Hwaaahwak—!!!

“Oh?”

Suddenly, the dough emitted light.

And it was a familiar light, light cyan in color.

“Huh…!! N-no way!”

Seeing that, the Poison King also startled and approached. I too smiled upon seeing the light.

“It’s done.”

The light grew larger as I stirred. Anyone could see this wasn’t a failure.

If it wasn’t a failure, there was only one answer.

‘Success.’

Right now, at this moment.

The Tang family’s greatest treasure lost in the past. The legendary elixir said to rival the Great Replenishing Pill, the Poison Heaven Pill, has been successfully revived.

“This can’t be…”

The Poison King approached, looking incredulous. Seeing him, I said,

“L-look, Tang Family Head-nim. Didn’t I tell you I had ways?”

Surely I deserve some praise for this? Catching my breath, I said to the Poison King,

“Son-in-law… did you really do it?”

“Can’t you tell by looking… What?”